Teething : A survival guide for all SUPER MAMAS

Ask any parent of young kids what they remember most about that first year bringing up baby, and you can probably bet after sleep deprivation that teething is a hot topic of conversation.

And oh yes, last week shortly after hitting the 6 month mark, baby L was sporting that all too familiar rosy, looks-like-it’s-possibly-been-painted-on-by-his-older-brother glow around his perfectly chubby little cheeks.

I know what’s coming.

TEETH.

And lots of them.

JOY.

I think we were relatively lucky with toddler H – he cut his first teeth at 7 months and they were all popped out not long after his first birthday (apart from the dreaded two year molars, jeez, i’ll need a very stiff drink or ten to go near that one again and I need to pop out for milk later and no-one likes to see tipsy mama in Tesco knocking down the carefully crafted display of organic quinoa , so perhaps that’s a story for another day…)

The pain with H was short and sharp so to speak, and I was hoping that with little Mr L we might have the same …..

The drool, the runny nappies every 10 minutes, the no sleeping, the no napping, the screaming, oh the screaming. It’s been well over a week AND I CANT EVEN SEE ANY BEEPING TEETH YET!

Hubby and I have been crazily scouring the internet and accosting friends for some kind of magical miracle remedy, and it seems everyone has something to offer and let’s face it we are ready to try ANYTHING.

So, with that in mind here are my top teething tips for all you mamas out there currently changing your tenth dribble bib of the day (that doesn’t even co-ordinate with your little ones outfit because you’ve been through all the good ones and are now on the food and sick stained ones you only deem usable at home and NEVER make their way into Instagram *sighs*)

There are plenty of foods out there which can help ease the pain. Make sure you co-ordinate with whatever you’re drinking (see tip 1.) My personal recomendations are pizza with rosé, chocolate with red and well, anything goes with gin. I love gin.

3. MEDICATE

There’s so much to choose from these days and you don’t even need to ask for it over the counter! I have to say I prefer anything over about 40% proof, but it’s a personal choice so go with whatever you fancy.

4. SOPHIE

So many people have told me about this and it’s a lifesaver: Shake.Open.Pour.Hendricks.In.Everything. Now of course you don’t have to go for a big brand name soother, but really, if you’re going to do it, do it right…

5. KEEP EVERYTHING DRY

The gin, that is.

So there it is. Some of the best advice I have been given on surviving teething and I can promise you all five tips have been tried and tested by my good self – completely selflessly you understand, just to make sure they are all winners. And they are.

No need to thank me, teethings a b*tch and us mamas got to stick together. But if you do want to thank me, you can probably guess what I’m having…